Kroc
TDPRI Member
Hey all!
I have a 60th Anniversary Empress Tele that I bought about ten years ago. Olympic white, maple fretboard. It's cool, and the tone is great (pairs great with my Vibrolux Reverb), but there are some things about it that bother me a bit - I never totally trust the intonation or tuning stability. The low-e string always seems to fret sharper all along the neck that it plays open, even after professional tweaking. The neck is okay, but not mind-blowing.
Recently I decided I wanted to add a Strat to my collection and got an American Original 60s Stratocaster (sunburst, rosewood board). I played it and instantly felt at home! The neck just feels so perfect. The kind of thing where it's so comfortable, it makes playing everything feel easier and inspires you to try new things!
Anyway, I love that guitar, but I also really appreciate the sound and simplicity of Teles - I'm a singer-songwriter and a big Jeff Buckley fan, and I dig the whole middle-pickup + reverb thing as an acoustic guitar alternative for solo performing.
I think I'd like to maybe find a second Tele at some point that's just a super reliable workhorse for stage and studio. So it's had me wondering what exactly it is about this Strat that feels so much nicer, and if I'd be happier eventually with something like an Original 60s Tele + a modern saddle aftermarket.
I'm aware that my Tele has a 'modern C' neck, vs the Mid-60s C on the Strat, which is thicker. They both have a 9.5" radius. It might be partly the feel of the rosewood that I prefer too.
...Could also just be GAS.
I know this is super subjective and finding 'the one' takes time. But we're nowhere near a decent guitar store, so I'd love to hear any thoughts!
Cheers,
Dan
P.S.
For what it's worth, my main gigging guitar (which I've put over 300 hours on this year) is a current issue D-28 with the modern 'performance taper' neck, which I also adore and feel super comfortable with.
I have a 60th Anniversary Empress Tele that I bought about ten years ago. Olympic white, maple fretboard. It's cool, and the tone is great (pairs great with my Vibrolux Reverb), but there are some things about it that bother me a bit - I never totally trust the intonation or tuning stability. The low-e string always seems to fret sharper all along the neck that it plays open, even after professional tweaking. The neck is okay, but not mind-blowing.
Recently I decided I wanted to add a Strat to my collection and got an American Original 60s Stratocaster (sunburst, rosewood board). I played it and instantly felt at home! The neck just feels so perfect. The kind of thing where it's so comfortable, it makes playing everything feel easier and inspires you to try new things!
Anyway, I love that guitar, but I also really appreciate the sound and simplicity of Teles - I'm a singer-songwriter and a big Jeff Buckley fan, and I dig the whole middle-pickup + reverb thing as an acoustic guitar alternative for solo performing.
I think I'd like to maybe find a second Tele at some point that's just a super reliable workhorse for stage and studio. So it's had me wondering what exactly it is about this Strat that feels so much nicer, and if I'd be happier eventually with something like an Original 60s Tele + a modern saddle aftermarket.
I'm aware that my Tele has a 'modern C' neck, vs the Mid-60s C on the Strat, which is thicker. They both have a 9.5" radius. It might be partly the feel of the rosewood that I prefer too.
...Could also just be GAS.
I know this is super subjective and finding 'the one' takes time. But we're nowhere near a decent guitar store, so I'd love to hear any thoughts!
Cheers,
Dan
P.S.
For what it's worth, my main gigging guitar (which I've put over 300 hours on this year) is a current issue D-28 with the modern 'performance taper' neck, which I also adore and feel super comfortable with.
